Wildcats pull out two big wins

Howell rips walk-off homer to beat Gunn

By Dick Sparrer

When Trevor Wilson sliced a two-run single into right field in the bottom of the sixth last Saturday afternoon, it appeared to be just a little insurance for Los Gatos on its way to a baseball win over Saratoga.

Well, it was insurance, but it was policy that Alex Rollin and the Wildcats had to cash in right away when the Falcons came fighting back in the top of the seventh for three runs, only to come up a run short.

Los Gatos held on for a tight 9-8 victory over the Falcons, the second close last-inning wins in as many days for the Wildcats.

Travis Howell blasted a three-run walk-off homer to lift the Cats to a thrilling 15-13 win over Gunn on Friday.

"We're really happy," said Gatos coach Don Ardissone. "Those were two really important wins for us."

The two wins last week pushed the Wildcats right into the thick of the race for second place in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

Wilcox appears to be running away from the pack with a 10-0 league record, so the race is on for second. Gunn currently holds the No. 2 spot with a 7-4 league record, but Gatos is just a half game back at 6-4. Cupertino (5-5), Fremont (4-7), Saratoga (3-6) and Milpitas (0-10) round out the standings.

The Cats face two big games when they visit Wilcox on April 17 and host Cupertino on April 19. Both games are set for 3:30 p.m.

Los Gatos played two big games last week, and they won them both in exciting fashion.

Gatos fought back from a 13-10 deficit with a five-run rally in the last of the seventh to beat Gunn on Friday, then fought back from a 5-1 deficit on Saturday to edge Saratoga 9-8.

A five-run rally in the fourth and a three-run outburst in the sixth seemed to wrap things up for the Cats. But there was no quit in Saratoga, and the Falcons picked up three runs in the seventh before Rollin got the final hitter to roll out to the shortstop for the last out.

For Rollin, it was a bulldog performance. He scattered seven hits, but he walked six and hit one batter. Los Gatos also committed four errors in the game.

"He's really mentally tough," said Ardissone of Rollin.

Still, thanks to the offensive heroics of Wilson and Sweeney, the Cats were able to outscore the Falcons in the Saturday game.

Sweeney ripped run-scoring singles in the third and fourth innings, and Wilson, who had three hits on the day, singled home a run in the fourth and singled home two more in the sixth. The last two runs turned out to be the difference in the game.

The Cats held a slim 6-5 lead heading into the last of the sixth. Senior captain Chris Eagen worked the count full, then walked to open the inning. An out later, Howell and pinch hitter Matt Lazares were each hit by pitches to load the bases.

Jayson Furia launched a sacrifice fly to right to drive in a run and, after Alex Anderson was hit by a pitch to reload the bags, Wilson ripped a two-run single to right.

Rollin took the 9-5 lead into the seventh. He got Buck Wright on a fly out to right on the first pitch of the inning, but then Justin Oliver ripped a solo homer to left.

After a walk, Rollin recorded his 10th strikeout of the day. But a two-out error kept the inning alive, and Jon Anderson made it hurt with a two-run single to left. Rollin got the final hitter to bounce out to short, though, and Los Gatos secured the victory.

Saratoga scored first in the game with a run in the third, but Gatos got it back in the home half of the frame when Eagen walked and scored on a single by Sweeney.

The Falcons picked up four unearned runs in the fourth to go ahead 5-1, but the Cats came fighting back again with five in their half of the frame.

A bad-hop single by Rollin and walks to Furia and Anderson loaded the bags for Wilson, and he singled to right to drive one home.

Two outs later, a wild throw at first on Eagen's infield roller allowed two runs to score, and Sweeney and Howell followed with back-to-back run-scoring singles to give Gatos the 6-5 lead.

It was Wilson's infield hit that had started the big rally in the seventh a day earlier against Gunn.

Wilson singled and James Gentry walked to get the Cats going. Chris Willard followed with a clutch single to load the bases. Eagen walked to push across a run, and Sweeney reached on a fielder's choice to drive in another. With runners at the corners and the Cats down 13-12, Howell launched a 3-1 pitch over the left field fence for a walk-off three-run homer.

Jason Livingstone came on in relief to pick up the mound win, his first of the year.

Eagen and Howell each singled, doubled and homered in the win, and Eagen drove in four runs. Anderson also belted a homer for the Wildcats.

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